Will the GTC Revpad replace traditional guitar effects pedals?

Touchpads on guitars are nothing new - just look at Manson's Matt Bellamy-style offerings and Ibanez's Kaoss Pad-loaded RGKP6 - but GTC reckon its Revpad "will soon replace traditional guitar effects" thanks to a fully realised standalone wireless system.

Attached to any guitar via easily removable hook/loop fastener, the Revpad wirelessly transmits to a base unit, which itself offers a host of effects - think modulation, delays, reverbs et al - as well as what GTC calls TouchFX technology, for effects such as dynamic kill switch, cross fades, a virtual whammy bar and more.

The Revpad base unit utilises analogue distortion and overdrive circuits, as well as digital effects, while external pedals can also be hooked up to allow for wireless control over switching.

As long as the effects in the base unit are up to snuff, this could be a game-changer for guitarists who want wireless control of effects without pedalboard tap-dancing.

Revpad is available to preorder from GTC Sound Innovations for $850, after which it will cost $1,399.

Michael Astley-Brown

Mike has been Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com since 2019, and an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict for far longer. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and 15 years' experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. His writing also appears in the The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock as Maebe.